Record Reviews
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  | KRZYSZTOF KOMEDA ~ KRAKSA
GAD 301 (Barcode: 5903068125607) ~ POLAND ~ Jazz
Recorded: 1956 - 1965 Released: 2024
This is an archival album by the Godfather of Polish Jazz, pianist / composer / bandleader Krzysztof KomedaFind albums by this artist, which presents soundtracks that he composed to three films by Polish Jewish director of documentary movies Edward EtlerFind albums by this artist: “Kraksa” (1963), “Okolice Peronow” (1964) and “Twarz Wroga” (1965) and finally music to a nature documentary from 1956, performed by his sextet. The first two of these were previously released on the Power BrosFind albums on this label label in 2009. The names of the musicians, who recorded the music, are unknown, but obviously they were members of his ensembles active at the time and include trumpeter Tomasz StankoFind albums by this artist and saxophonists Zbigniew NamyslowskiFind albums by this artist and Michal UrbaniakFind albums by this artist.
The music offers fragments of themes and their variations, as usual in cinematic albums, but the genius of Komeda is immediately obvious, and like everything he ever composed, it is pure magic. Of course the full power of this music can only be experienced by watching the movies accompanied by the music, but it is strong enough to stand on its own, as this album proves.
Overall, this is an important document of Komeda’s work and although adds only a relatively little portion of previously unreleased material, for Komeda enthusiasts and completists it is a must have item.
| | Updated: 27/01/2025Posted: 27/01/2025 | CD 1 Recommend To A Friend |
  | KRZYSZTOF KOMEDA ~ POLISH RADIO JAZZ ARCHIVES VOL.04
POLSKIE RADIO 1600 (Barcode: 5907812246006) ~ POLAND ~ Jazz
Recorded: 1957 - 1962 Released: 2013
This is the fourth installment in the new series of releases initiated by the Polish Radio, which presents archive Jazz recordings. Radio recordings are always a fabulous source of remarkable material, and as far as Polish Jazz history is concerned, the Polish Radio, which was a state monopoly for 45 years, recorded over time a plethora of invaluable material, which apart from the albums released by the Polskie Nagrania record company (also a state monopoly), is the only additional source of Polish Jazz recordings. For many years Polish Radio recorded concerts presented during Poland´s most important Jazz venue, the annual Jazz Jamboree Festival and many other festivals as well.
The material presented here was recorded between 1957 and 1962 and presents the iconic figure of the Godfather of Polish Jazz, pianist / composer Krzysztof KomedaFind albums by this artist. Of the twelve recordings, first five are studio radio recordings and seven are live recordings from the 1961 and 1962 Jazz Jamboree Festivals. Most of the material was recorded in a trio / quartet setting except for the four 1957 recordings, which were recorded by a larger ensemble. The remastering work is incredible and the sound quality brigs this music back to life at its full bloom, which of course is great news for the numerous Komeda fans all over the world.
The music presents a retrospective look at Komeda´s early phase, which shows the remarkable development of his immense talent both as a player and a composer. The transition from the early period when Komeda is performing American Jazz standards into the later period when he plays almost exclusively his original compositions shows the birth of European Jazz, of which Komeda was one of the earliest leaders, caught live in action. It also shows his role as a composer of film music, including his early score to the Andrzej WajdaFind albums by this artist film "Innocent Sorcerers" and his monumental music for the Roman PolanskiFind albums by this artist debut film "Knife In The Water". This is the Holy Grail of Polish Jazz, which certainly deserves to be kept alive and passed from generation to generation as part of the Artistic heritage, Polish and Worldwide alike.
However, some questions arise as to the actual selection of the material for this release; although I have been assured by the people in charge of the production of this album, that all the music included herein is previously unreleased, it is hardly conceivable considering the plethora of Komeda releases (legal, semi-legal or completely bootleg) over the years, with the extended "complete" Komeda series by both Power BrosFind albums on this label and PoloniaFind albums on this label labels and even the Polskie Nagrania / MuzaFind albums on this label 3CD set of Komeda performances at Jazz Jamboree, released in 2011, which seems to duplicate some of the music included here, and of course the lack of a proper booklet with proper liner notes, photographs and other well deserved details, which this monumental music truly deserves. Polish Radio really should have made a better judgment and more of an effort here. A pity!
As usual with this series, this is a great document of the era and an integral part of the Polish Jazz saga, which deserves to be told and studied. My advice is to get hold of this gem ASAP, as Polish CDs are often out of print before the paint dries on the booklets.
| | | CD 1 Digipak Remastered Recommend To A Friend |
  | MICHAL URBANIAK / CONSTELLATION ~ IN CONCERT (POLISH JAZZ VOL.36)
POWER BROS 00119 ~ POLAND ~ Jazz-Rock Fusion
Recorded: 1973 Released: 1993
This is a reissue of the second album on the legendary "Polish Jazz" series by the Polish saxophonist / violinist / composer / bandleader Michal UrbaniakFind albums by this artist. A veteran Polish Jazz musician, Urbaniak was a member of the legendary ensembles led by Krzysztof KomedaFind albums by this artist, where he played the saxophone, but by the early 1970 he switched to the violin and plunged into Jazz-Rock Fusion, rapidly becoming one of the most inventive and creative pioneers of the genre.
This album and the albums recorded in Germany and later in the USA are absolute Fusion milestones, but also stand out as completely unique in their approach to the genre. Urbaniak combined the marvelous abilities of his wife Urszula DudziakFind albums by this artist and her extraordinary and experimental vocalese technique with his common usage of Polish Folklore motifs, creating a superb and completely unparalleled Fusion music.
This live recording captures his baseless / double keyboard ensemble, which also includes organist Wojciech KarolakFind albums by this artist, pianist Adam MakowiczFind albums by this artist and drummer Czeslaw BartkowskiFind albums by this artist. The music, all composed by Urbaniak, is simply out of this world, brilliant and fresh, absolutely resistant to the tides of time and fashion. In retrospect one can only regret that Fusion followed mostly the direction of flashy virtuosic display of neck-breaking guitar races rather than the direction proposed by Urbaniak´s Fusion, but it´s unfortunately too late now. At least we can savor this music, 40 years after it was recorded, well aged and beautifully eternal. A must!
| | Updated: 08/09/2019Posted: | CD 1 Essential Recommend To A Friend |
  | KRZYSZTOF KOMEDA ~ MEMORY OF BACH
POWER BROS 00157 ~ POLAND ~ Jazz
Recorded: 1956 - 1967
A selection of various pieces recorded between 1956 and 1967, includes Krzysztof KomedaFind albums by this artist´s first ever composition "Memory Of Bach" recorded at the legendary first jazz festival in Poland and also some of his film music from the Roman PolanskiFind albums by this artist´s early film "Knife In The Water". As usual the music is brilliant and incredibly sophisticated.
Enhanced CD with CD-ROM contents!
| | | CD 1 Remastered Recommend To A Friend |
  | KRZYSZTOF KOMEDA ~ ASTIGMATIC (POLISH JAZZ VOL.05)
POWER BROS 00163 (Barcode: 5906295856030) ~ POLAND ~ Jazz
Recorded: 1965 Released: 1998
This music, encapsulated for eternity in a piece of plastic, is one of the great milestones of human Culture, an ultra-rare eruption of human genius. Recorded by a quintet led by Polish pianist / composer Krzysztof KomedaFind albums by this artist, the legendary Godfather of Polish Jazz, this is definitely the most important piece of music recorded in Eastern Europe, which changed the face of Culture far beyond what most people realize. Universally accepted as a model and artistic / aesthetic climax by generations of Jazz musicians in Komeda´s native Poland and far beyond the country borders, this modern Jazz recording influenced innumerable minds and prompted endless artistic processes. The album includes just three pieces of music: the title track; "Kattorna", which was a theme in the soundtrack of a movie by the Danish director Henning CarlsenFind albums by this artist; and "Svantetic", a tune dedicated to the Swedish poet Svante ForsterFind albums by this artist, Komeda´s friend. The quintet included trumpeter Tomasz StankoFind albums by this artist, saxophonist Zbigniew NamyslowskiFind albums by this artist, German bassist Gunter LenzFind albums by this artist and Swedish drummer Rune CarlssonFind albums by this artist. Playing in every possible grouping, from solo to a full quintet, these brilliant and inspired musicians manage to achieve a whole, which is so much more than a sum of its parts. The result goes way beyond soloing, improvising, interplaying and exchanging ideas; it is a sort of group creation, which builds upon the basic structures, which are the mesmerizing Komeda´s melodies and soaring infinitely towards a musical heaven. There is everything here: melody, harmony, freedom and structure, rhythm and space, all simultaneously represented without conflicting and fighting for supremacy. Such harmonious music-making is indeed very rare and therefore priceless. One might wonder how this wonderful music happened in Poland of all places. Well the reasons for this are numerous and complex, but of course genius knows no geographical limitations and catalyzed by the fertile intellectual background of the 1960s Poland, struggling with Socialist regime and longing for Freedom, Jazz became an escape route, which in this case found its true vocation. Of course the fact that Stanko and Namyslowski were (and thank God still are) exceptionally gifted musicians helped to materialize the potential of Komeda´s music. One might as well look into Komeda´s fascination (and adoration) of the music and life of John ColtraneFind albums by this artist, who served as a beacon and a model in the composer´s path to inner enlightenment. And yet Komeda did not succumb to Coltrane´s (or indeed the entire American Free Jazz movement) ideas blindly and unconditionally, as did many of his peers. He decided to incorporate the struggle for Freedom, which was a central scheme in Coltrane´s philosophy (both musical and personal) with his deep European cultural roots and heritage, building his very personal bridge between Cultures. This is why his music works so well, regardless if it´s a concert played in a Jazz club or a movie soundtrack. It is simply transcending stylistic or circumstantial limitations, as any higher level of Art is able to do. The fact that this music was created almost fifty years ago is a sad reminder of how little progress (if any) we managed to achieve since. In face of this fact we should cherish the great achievements of our Culture and keep them close to our hearts. This is definitely one of those great achievements, so let´s treat it accordingly. Absolutely essential!
Enhanced CD with CD-ROM contents!
| | | CD 1 Remastered Essential Recommend To A Friend |
  | KRZYSZTOF KOMEDA ~ SOPHIA`S TUNE
POWER BROS 00167 (Barcode: 4011550716729) ~ POLAND ~ Jazz
Recorded: 1965 Released: 1998
This album presents a live recording by a quintet led by Polish pianist / composer Krzysztof KomedaFind albums by this artist, the legendary Godfather of Polish Jazz, recorded live at the Copenhagen Montmartre Jazz club. At that time Montmartre was one of the most important European Jazz venues and had the privilege of hosting the crème de la crème of worldwide Jazz performers, which testifies as to Komeda´s reputation in Scandinavia. The quintet also includes trumpeter Tomasz StankoFind albums by this artist, saxophonist Michal UrbaniakFind albums by this artist, Danish bassist Bo StiefFind albums by this artist and drummer Simon KopelFind albums by this artist. They perform three original Komeda compositions, one of which ("Svantetic") gets an expanded treatment of over 20 minutes. The same composition was recorded later the same year as part of the legendary "AstigmaticFind albums with this title" album. The remaining two compositions are: "Repetition", which was recorded a couple of years later on the also legendary "Meine Susse Europaische Heimat" album of Jazz and Polish poetry (produced by Joachim BerendtFind albums by this artist) and "Sophia´s Tune" dedicated to Komeda´s wife Zofia. The performances are absolutely stunning as this is European Jazz at its absolute peak, eons ahead of its time and light-years ahead of anything else played at the time. Stanko´s trumpet, already at that time, prophesizes the fact that he will have no competitors, as we can witness now, almost 50 years later. Komeda´s music is so completely enthralling and engulfing that is remains completely untouched by time, resistant to fads and fashions and intrinsically timeless. This time capsule, which we are lucky to be able to listen to, is a Godsend. Absolutely essential!
Enhanced CD with CD-ROM contents!
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  | KRZYSZTOF KOMEDA ~ KNIFE IN THE WATER - SOUNDTRACKS FROM ROMAN POLANSKI MOVIES
POWER BROS 00175 ~ POLAND ~ Jazz
The names of Krzysztof KomedaFind albums by this artist and Roman PolanskiFind albums by this artist were associated forever by the powerful combination of the director`s work and the composers`s music, which enriched and emphasized the atmosphere. This CD includes soundtracks from the first 3 films Polanski directed in Poland: "Two Man And A Wardrobe", "When Angels Fall" and "Knife In The Water". Sheer genius.
Enhanced CD with CD-ROM contents!
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  | KRZYSZTOF POPEK ~ GROOVIN` HEADS
POWER BROS 00179 ~ POLAND ~ Jazz
Delightful smooth Jazz a la Polonaise - Popek, a veteran flute and keyboards player and the owner of the Power Bros label, produced this fun album to prove that funk / groove can be done outside of the US as well if not better. Some of the top Polish players supply the instrumental parts and 3 soloists front the ensemble. If you don`t mind Polish vocals (he he) this is truly a great fun.
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  | KRZYSZTOF KOMEDA ~ ROSEMARY`S BABY - SOUNDTRACKS FROM ROMAN POLANSKI MOVIES
POWER BROS 00183 ~ POLAND ~ Jazz
At last available two of Krzysztof KomedaFind albums by this artist´s most famous film scores he composed for the Polish director Roman PolanskiFind albums by this artist: "Rosemary´s Baby" and "Fearless Vampire Killers". Polanski just moved to Hollywood to direct those films and obviously he asked Komeda to write the music for his films, as he did when he was making films in Poland. Komeda went to Hollywood to score both movies and it is there he had the tragic car accident that severed his life and illustrious career.
Enhanced CD with CD-ROM contents!
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  | KRZYSZTOF KOMEDA ~ BALLADS
POWER BROS 00185 ~ POLAND ~ Jazz
This album presents the Krzysztof KomedaFind albums by this artist Trio performing at the Warsaw Jazz Jamboree Festival in 1962. It is a wonderful opportunity to hear the great Polish pianist / composer in a most intimate situation as close to his music as possible. The material includes mostly Komeda´s wonderful compositions, including the music he composed at that time for Roman PolanskiFind albums by this artist´s film "Knife In Water".
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  | KRZYSZTOF KOMEDA ~ KATTORNA – SOUNDTRACKS FROM HENNING CARLSEN MOVIES
POWER BROS 00189 (Barcode: 5906295856375) ~ POLAND ~ Jazz
Recorded: 1964 - 1967 Released: 2009
Although primarily identified as the soundtrack composer of the movies directed by Roman PolanskiFind albums by this artist, Polish pianist / composer Krzysztof KomedaFind albums by this artist cooperated with the entire Polish film industry during the revolutionary days of the 1960s New Wave of Polish Cinema, producing a long list of incredible cinematic scores. The post-WWII Polish cinema, struggling with the destruction of the country´s intellectual fabric, the Socialist regime and the economic hardships, managed to produce some of the most outstanding works of modern cinematography, equal in their power of expression and revolutionary approach to cinema as a modern cultural media to the achievement of the great British, Scandinavian, French and Italian film makers at the same time. Komeda´s soundtracks to the Polish (and Scandinavian) films in the mid-1960s and later Hollywood movies by the end of the 1960s are all absolute masterpieces of style, expression and sheer genius in creating a story-telling, often nerve-wrecking melody lines and wonderful themes, which expanded the visual content of the films and added another emotional dimension. The music is of course strongly influenced by the Jazz idioms, often even being pure Jazz. It is performed mostly by Komeda himself, accompanied by the members of his Jazz combos at the time, like trumpeter Tomasz StankoFind albums by this artist, saxophonists Zbigniew NamyslowskiFind albums by this artist and Michal UrbaniakFind albums by this artist and others. Sometimes larger instrumentation is also used, especially in the later scores. What is especially surprising and magical about this music is the fact that is stands alone as well as it functions as a part of the cinematic experience. All the albums with Komeda´s soundtracks are simply superb pieces of music and in retrospect constitute an incredible body of work of rarely equaled magnitude and importance. Komeda´s tragic and painfully premature death ended a career, which in many respects was at its early stage. This album includes the soundtracks of three movies: "Kattorna (Kittens)", "Sult (Hunger)" and "People Meet And Sweet Music Fills The Heart" by Danish director Henning CarlsenFind albums by this artist. Komeda´s incredible talent as a film composer was discovered by the Scandinavian film makers and other intellectuals and Komeda spent considerable periods of time in Scandinavia in the mid-1960s, which was unprecedented for any Polish musician. Unfortunately the music for the first film directed by Carlsen, which Komeda composed the music for: "Hvad Med Os (What About Us)" is not included on this album and was not released to date. Komeda was also supposed to compose the music for a fifth film by Carlson, but his tragic death prevented this from happening. The music from "Kattorna", in a different version, can be also found on the legendary "AstigmaticFind albums with this title" album by Komeda. Brilliant stuff!
| | | CD 1 Remastered Recommend To A Friend |
  | KRZYSZTOF KOMEDA ~ WYROK – SOUNDTRACK FROM JERZY PASSENDORFER MOVIE
POWER BROS 00197 (Barcode: 5906295856412) ~ POLAND ~ Jazz
Recorded: 1962 Released: 2009
Although primarily identified as the soundtrack composer of the movies directed by Roman PolanskiFind albums by this artist, Polish pianist / composer Krzysztof KomedaFind albums by this artist cooperated with the entire Polish film industry during the revolutionary days of the 1960s New Wave of Polish Cinema, producing a long list of incredible cinematic scores. The post-WWII Polish cinema, struggling with the destruction of the country´s intellectual fabric, the Socialist regime and the economic hardships, managed to produce some of the most outstanding works of modern cinematography, equal in their power of expression and revolutionary approach to cinema as a modern cultural media to the achievement of the great British, Scandinavian, French and Italian film makers at the same time. Komeda´s soundtracks to the Polish (and Scandinavian) films in the mid-1960s and later Hollywood movies by the end of the 1960s are all absolute masterpieces of style, expression and sheer genius in creating a story-telling, often nerve-wrecking melody lines and wonderful themes, which expanded the visual content of the films and added another emotional dimension. The music is of course strongly influenced by the Jazz idioms, often even being pure Jazz. It is performed mostly by Komeda himself, accompanied by the members of his Jazz combos at the time, like trumpeter Tomasz StankoFind albums by this artist, saxophonists Zbigniew NamyslowskiFind albums by this artist and Michal UrbaniakFind albums by this artist and others. Sometimes larger instrumentation is also used, especially in the later scores. What is especially surprising and magical about this music is the fact that is stands alone as well as it functions as a part of the cinematic experience. All the albums with Komeda´s soundtracks are simply superb pieces of music and in retrospect constitute an incredible body of work of rarely equaled magnitude and importance. Komeda´s tragic and painfully premature death ended a career, which in many respects was at its early stage. This album includes the soundtrack of the movie "Wyrok (The Sentence)" by the director Jerzy PassendorferFind albums by this artist. Brilliant stuff!
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  | KRZYSZTOF POPEK ~ FRESH AIR PROJECT
POWER BROS 00197 (Barcode: 5906295856610) ~ POLAND ~ Jazz
Recorded: 2012 - 2016 Released: 2016
This is an album by veteran Polish Jazz flautist / composer Krzysztof PopekFind albums by this artist, which breaks his seven years long period of silence. It was recorded in a sextet setting with Polish trumpeter Piotr WojtasikFind albums by this artist, Romanian saxophonist Nicolas SimionFind albums by this artist and an American rhythm section: pianist George CablesFind albums by this artist, bassist Cameron BrownFind albums by this artist and drummer Victor LewisFind albums by this artist. Together they perform seven pieces, of which just one is an original by Popek and another is a short outro by Cables and the remaining five are standards.
As the lineup suggests, the music is typical mainstream Jazz, which has almost nothing to do with Polish or European Jazz, and is soaked in American tradition with a very predictable results. Although these are excellent musicians, the music they perform offers no intellectual challenge whatsoever to the listener.
There are plenty of great instrumental passages, especially Simion´s bass clarinet parts, but again nothing outstanding, which does not appear on almost every CD recorded in the US. Popek´s flute still sounds beautifully romantic, but the instrumental performances alone are simply not enough to make this album exceptional. I still hold fond memories of Popek´s work as the leader of the legendary Young PowerFind albums by this artist, which I´d rather listen to than to this album.
Overall this is a highly professional post Bebop mainstream album, well recorded and pleasurable, but not different from thousands of other similar albums of this type.
| | Updated: 28/02/2017Posted: 28/02/2017 | CD 1 Digipak Recommend To A Friend |
  | KRZYSZTOF KOMEDA ~ BARIERA – SOUNDTRACKS FROM JERZY SKOLIMOWSKI / JANUSZ NASFETER MOVIES
POWER BROS 00199 (Barcode: 5906295856429) ~ POLAND ~ Jazz
Recorded: 1965 - 1966 Released: 2009
Although primarily identified as the soundtrack composer of the movies directed by Roman PolanskiFind albums by this artist, Polish pianist / composer Krzysztof KomedaFind albums by this artist cooperated with the entire Polish film industry during the revolutionary days of the 1960s New Wave of Polish Cinema, producing a long list of incredible cinematic scores. The post-WWII Polish cinema, struggling with the destruction of the country´s intellectual fabric, the Socialist regime and the economic hardships, managed to produce some of the most outstanding works of modern cinematography, equal in their power of expression and revolutionary approach to cinema as a modern cultural media to the achievement of the great British, Scandinavian, French and Italian film makers at the same time. Komeda´s soundtracks to the Polish (and Scandinavian) films in the mid-1960s and later Hollywood movies by the end of the 1960s are all absolute masterpieces of style, expression and sheer genius in creating a story-telling, often nerve-wrecking melody lines and wonderful themes, which expanded the visual content of the films and added another emotional dimension. The music is of course strongly influenced by the Jazz idioms, often even being pure Jazz. It is performed mostly by Komeda himself, accompanied by the members of his Jazz combos at the time, like trumpeter Tomasz StankoFind albums by this artist, saxophonists Zbigniew NamyslowskiFind albums by this artist and Michal UrbaniakFind albums by this artist and others. Sometimes larger instrumentation is also used, especially in the later scores. What is especially surprising and magical about this music is the fact that is stands alone as well as it functions as a part of the cinematic experience. All the albums with Komeda´s soundtracks are simply superb pieces of music and in retrospect constitute an incredible body of work of rarely equaled magnitude and importance. Komeda´s tragic and painfully premature death ended a career, which in many respects was at its early stage. This album includes the soundtrack of the movie "Bariera (Barrier)" by the director Jerzy SkolimowskiFind albums by this artist and the soundtrack of the movie "Niekochana (Unloved)Find albums by this artist" by director Janusz Nasfeter. Brilliant stuff!
| | | CD 1 Remastered Recommend To A Friend |
  | KRZYSZTOF KOMEDA ~ JUTRO PREMIERA – SOUNDTRACKS FROM JANUSZ MORGENSTERN / EDWARD ETLER MOVIES
POWER BROS 00201 (Barcode: 5906295856436) ~ POLAND ~ Jazz
Recorded: 1962 - 1964 Released: 2009
Although primarily identified as the soundtrack composer of the movies directed by Roman PolanskiFind albums by this artist, Polish pianist / composer Krzysztof KomedaFind albums by this artist cooperated with the entire Polish film industry during the revolutionary days of the 1960s New Wave of Polish Cinema, producing a long list of incredible cinematic scores. The post-WWII Polish cinema, struggling with the destruction of the country´s intellectual fabric, the Socialist regime and the economic hardships, managed to produce some of the most outstanding works of modern cinematography, equal in their power of expression and revolutionary approach to cinema as a modern cultural media to the achievement of the great British, Scandinavian, French and Italian film makers at the same time. Komeda´s soundtracks to the Polish (and Scandinavian) films in the mid-1960s and later Hollywood movies by the end of the 1960s are all absolute masterpieces of style, expression and sheer genius in creating a story-telling, often nerve-wrecking melody lines and wonderful themes, which expanded the visual content of the films and added another emotional dimension. The music is of course strongly influenced by the Jazz idioms, often even being pure Jazz. It is performed mostly by Komeda himself, accompanied by the members of his Jazz combos at the time, like trumpeter Tomasz StankoFind albums by this artist, saxophonists Zbigniew NamyslowskiFind albums by this artist and Michal UrbaniakFind albums by this artist and others. Sometimes larger instrumentation is also used, especially in the later scores. What is especially surprising and magical about this music is the fact that is stands alone as well as it functions as a part of the cinematic experience. All the albums with Komeda´s soundtracks are simply superb pieces of music and in retrospect constitute an incredible body of work of rarely equaled magnitude and importance. Komeda´s tragic and painfully premature death ended a career, which in many respects was at its early stage. This album includes the soundtrack of the movie "Jutro Premiera (Opening Tomorrow)" by director Janusz MorgensternFind albums by this artist and two soundtracks to documentaries "Kraksa (Crash)" / "Okolice Peronow (Near The Station)" by director Edward EtlerFind albums by this artist. Brilliant stuff!
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  | KRZYSZTOF KOMEDA ~ PRAWO I PIESC – SOUNDTRACKS FROM JERZY HOFFMAN / EDWARD SKORZEWSKI MOVIES
POWER BROS 00203 (Barcode: 5906295856443) ~ POLAND ~ Jazz
Recorded: 1964 - 1965 Released: 2009
Although primarily identified as the soundtrack composer of the movies directed by Roman PolanskiFind albums by this artist, Polish pianist / composer Krzysztof KomedaFind albums by this artist cooperated with the entire Polish film industry during the revolutionary days of the 1960s New Wave of Polish Cinema, producing a long list of incredible cinematic scores. The post-WWII Polish cinema, struggling with the destruction of the country´s intellectual fabric, the Socialist regime and the economic hardships, managed to produce some of the most outstanding works of modern cinematography, equal in their power of expression and revolutionary approach to cinema as a modern cultural media to the achievement of the great British, Scandinavian, French and Italian film makers at the same time. Komeda´s soundtracks to the Polish (and Scandinavian) films in the mid-1960s and later Hollywood movies by the end of the 1960s are all absolute masterpieces of style, expression and sheer genius in creating a story-telling, often nerve-wrecking melody lines and wonderful themes, which expanded the visual content of the films and added another emotional dimension. The music is of course strongly influenced by the Jazz idioms, often even being pure Jazz. It is performed mostly by Komeda himself, accompanied by the members of his Jazz combos at the time, like trumpeter Tomasz StankoFind albums by this artist, saxophonists Zbigniew NamyslowskiFind albums by this artist and Michal UrbaniakFind albums by this artist and others. Sometimes larger instrumentation is also used, especially in the later scores. What is especially surprising and magical about this music is the fact that is stands alone as well as it functions as a part of the cinematic experience. All the albums with Komeda´s soundtracks are simply superb pieces of music and in retrospect constitute an incredible body of work of rarely equaled magnitude and importance. Komeda´s tragic and painfully premature death ended a career, which in many respects was at its early stage. This album includes the soundtrack of the movie "Prawo I Piesc (The Law And The Fist)" by directors Jerzy HoffmanFind albums by this artist / Edward SkorzewskiFind albums by this artist, two soundtracks to animated movies "Sztandar (Standard)" / "Rondo (Roundabout)" by director Miroslaw KijowiczFind albums by this artist and the soundtrack to the movie "Pingwin (The Penguin)" by director Jerzy Stefan StawinskiFind albums by this artist. Brilliant stuff!
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  | KRZYSZTOF KOMEDA ~ PRZERWANY LOT – SOUNDTRACKS FROM LEONARD BUCZKOWSKI MOVIES
POWER BROS 00205 (Barcode: 5906295856450) ~ POLAND ~ Jazz
Recorded: 1963 - 1964 Released: 2009
Although primarily identified as the soundtrack composer of the movies directed by Roman PolanskiFind albums by this artist, Polish pianist / composer Krzysztof KomedaFind albums by this artist cooperated with the entire Polish film industry during the revolutionary days of the 1960s New Wave of Polish Cinema, producing a long list of incredible cinematic scores. The post-WWII Polish cinema, struggling with the destruction of the country´s intellectual fabric, the Socialist regime and the economic hardships, managed to produce some of the most outstanding works of modern cinematography, equal in their power of expression and revolutionary approach to cinema as a modern cultural media to the achievement of the great British, Scandinavian, French and Italian film makers at the same time. Komeda´s soundtracks to the Polish (and Scandinavian) films in the mid-1960s and later Hollywood movies by the end of the 1960s are all absolute masterpieces of style, expression and sheer genius in creating a story-telling, often nerve-wrecking melody lines and wonderful themes, which expanded the visual content of the films and added another emotional dimension. The music is of course strongly influenced by the Jazz idioms, often even being pure Jazz. It is performed mostly by Komeda himself, accompanied by the members of his Jazz combos at the time, like trumpeter Tomasz StankoFind albums by this artist, saxophonists Zbigniew NamyslowskiFind albums by this artist and Michal UrbaniakFind albums by this artist and others. Sometimes larger instrumentation is also used, especially in the later scores. What is especially surprising and magical about this music is the fact that is stands alone as well as it functions as a part of the cinematic experience. All the albums with Komeda´s soundtracks are simply superb pieces of music and in retrospect constitute an incredible body of work of rarely equaled magnitude and importance. Komeda´s tragic and painfully premature death ended a career, which in many respects was at its early stage. This album includes the soundtracks of two movies "Smarkula (Chit Of A Girl)" and "Przerwany Lot (The Broken Flight)" by director Leonard BuczkowskiFind albums by this artist. Brilliant stuff!
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  | TOMASZ STANKO ~ TWET (POLISH JAZZ VOL.39)
POWER BROS 33860 ~ POLAND ~ Jazz
Recorded: 1974 Released: 1986
This monumental album by Polish Jazz trumpeter / composer Tomasz StankoFind albums by this artist in one of the most important releases on the legendary Polish Jazz series, which means it´s a truly stellar performance. It captures perfectly the soul of Stanko´s 1970s Free Jazz period, which culminated just a year later with the recording of the legendary "BalladynaFind albums with this title" album for ECMFind albums on this label, in almost identical lineup. Similarly to his Mentor, Krzysztof KomedaFind albums by this artist, Stanko always tried to work with musicians from other countries, even when the bureaucracy of the Socialist regime made it quite difficult. Like Komeda before him, he worked with musicians from the neighbor Scandinavian countries, finding a close friend and partner in the free-spirited Finnish legendary drummer Edward VesalaFind albums by this artist. Young Polish saxophonist Tomasz SzukalskiFind albums by this artist was given the position previously held by such giant musicians as Zbigniew NamyslowskiFind albums by this artist and Michal UrbaniakFind albums by this artist, which testifies to Stanko´s high confidence in him. The quartet was completed by the great American bassist Peter WarrenFind albums by this artist, who lived at the time in Europe and participated actively in the incredible European Jazz scene of that period. The album includes five pieces, credited to all four musicians and obviously largely improvised, with some limited preconceived melody lines barely audible under the surface. The unedited, "live in the studio" recording perfectly reflects the atmosphere of the session, with Free blowing and intense interplays, enthusiastically encouraged by Vesala´s howls and cries in the background. This is definitely a magic moment, captured for posterity on this recording, which has very few parallels, and therefore is so incredibly important. Stanko´s fans will of course find plenty of his superb trumpet performances here, which are second to none. Any European Jazz connoisseur, Polish Jazz enthusiast or Stanko aficionado must absolutely have this album!
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